Official Spotting Locations

Visitor Terrace

There is a visitors terrace in the building connecting terminals A and B. It is part of the exhibition Welt der Luftfahrt (World of Aviation), which opened in October 2008. Access is from departure level. The minimum entrance fee now is €2,50 which includes part of the exhibition.

From the visitor terrace you have a view over the apron of Terminal A and parts of Terminal B. Aircraft on some stands of Terminal C are visible in some distance as is the remote parking area. You can take pictures of aircraft taxiing to the runways and landing or departing on 09R/27L. The disadvantages are that you have to photograph through glass (dirty!) and you face the sun for most of the day.

Other Spotting Locations

Position No 2 "Parkhaus Nord"

Leave the motorway A352 at the sign "Flughafen" (airport). Drive along the road and follow the signs to "Parkhaus Nord" (Car Park North), but be aware that it is usually closed off-season. This location is within walking distance of the terminals. When the car park is open, a free shuttle bus connects it to the terminals.

The multi-storey Car Park near RWY 27R is good for pictures when 27R is in use and aircraft use this runway for landing as well as for take-off. When 09L is in use, it is possible to take pictures of aircraft after take-off but most of the planes will be too high. The light is good from sunrise until about 5 p.m. Lenses between 150 and 400mm are recommended for shots of the runway and 70mm to 180mm for shots of the taxiway.

The view is obstructed by a new built aircraft hangar. There is only a small gap for max 3 spotters to take photos of the final approach.

Position No 8 "Schulenburg"

Drive in the towards the airport and do a left turn at the "Münchener Straße" (if you are coming from the airport, do a right turn). Drive along this road until you reach a small village named "Schulenburg". In this village you take the first road ("Dorfstraße") to the right. Drive this road until the end and you will see the runway in front of you. You can walk along the airport fence from here, too.

From the point "Schulenburg" you can take pictures of aircrafts which depart or land on 09R. You need a ladder (3 steps) at this position! The light is good from sunrise until 5 p.m. Lenses between 70 and 400mm are recommended, although 200 to 400mm lenses are only necessary for pictures of aircraft parked on the western apron.

Position No 10 "Schulenburg-Nord"

This point is located in Schulenburg-Nord. To get there, follow the instructions given for point 8, but instead of turning right at the first road in Schulenburg, take the second one (Hannoversche Straße). You have to follow this road up to Schulenburg Nord, where you have to turn left. Now you are heading directly towards a parking lot next to the taxiway.
From this point you have a great view across the northern runway (09L/27R) an its taxiways. For shots of the runway it is good to have at least a 300mm lens (for aircraft down to CRJ-size). The taxiway however is very close here, so you really need a wide angle lens (e.g. 30mm for a Yak42).
If RWY 09L is in use, every plane will pass this spot during landing and take off, but smaller planes landing on 27R often leave the runway before they reach this spot.
To get clear of the fence, a 3-step-ladder is necessary here. The sun is in your back from early morning until around 5 pm.

Münchner Straße - New spotting hill

For those in a hurry, it used to be possible to get a quick glance at the apron and traffic on runway 09R/27L from the parking strips along Münchner Straße (located south of the airport), but more and more buildings (mainly cargo centres) are blocking the view these days. It is still possible to park there and walk closer to the perimeter fence, but spot #8 (mentioned above) has the advantage of no thru-traffic and parking space closer to the fence.

Due to several new built warehouses the view from Münchner Straße is obstructed. Also it is no longer possible to cross the fields to get closer to the fence at most places. But a new spotting hill has been banked up between point 1 and 7. From this hill you have a good view on 09R/27L and the terminals. Park your car near the turn at the westerly end of Münchner Straße and walk the footpath beside the warehouse. A step ladder is not needed and the light is good from 10 am to 5 pm in summer.

End of runways

Those who like to stand directly underneath approaching (landing) aircraft can do so easily on 3 of the 4 ends at HAJ.
The far end of runway 27R is reached from Engelbostel via Resser Straße. It is possible to park a car there without problems.
The far end of runway 27L can be reached on foot from above mentioned positions #8 and #10. When coming from #10, park your car in the village itself, do not drive all the way to the designated area.
The far end of runway 09L is reached from Evershorst. You need to park your car in the very small village, as many roads are not open to public vehicles. On the road leading east from Evershorst to Kaltenweide, a bridge leads across motorway A352. From there head-on shots of approaching aircraft are possible.
The far end of runway 09R is the least good accessible one, as many areas are fenced off (being used as private parking lots for cars and trucks). Keep an open eye here and observe signs, as the situation changes rather frequently.

Locations to Avoid

If you use the positions mentioned above you shouldn't get any problems. Sometimes the airport security might bother you because your car might be parked in a wrong place, but if you tell them you are a plane spotter, they won't bother you.

HAJ is the central air hub for the 25.000 British soldiers based in Germany and therefore frequently used by the Royal Air Force. Taking pictures of military aircraft is okay but taking pictures of military personnel or cargo should be avoided. It is an unwritten law at HAJ not to point cameras with big lenses at military personnel. This is to make sure that the BFG (British Forces Germany) feel safe and respected and are willing to continue their handling at HAJ in the open.

Please note, that it is forbidden to use an airband scanner in Germany, but use rarely get prosecuted. Just turn it off if the police approaches.

Irregular traffic

Airlines in this category mainly operate tourist-charters during the busy summer season. More irregular traffic arrives at HAJ during the two bigger trade fairs held in Hannover every year: CeBIT and Hannover Fair (Industry) - especially the first one brings some unusual visitors from allover Europe. In addition to the Royal Air Force's own aircraft, chartered aircraft use HAJ for troop exchanges frequently. Expect to see B767, A330 or A340).

Have a look at this german forum frequently!
There are other interesting movements with nice aircrafts operating for the Royal Air Force and Volkswagen. In 2010 for example: Air Tahiti Nui A343, Air Seychelles B763, DELTA A332, CargoJet B762F, Thomas Cook Scandinavia A332, Air Caraibes A332, EuroAtlantic 763 and Avient MD-11F.

Facilities and Transportation

Access by car is via Motorway A352 and some local roads.
Rail access (station is in the basement of terminal C) from Langenhagen and Hannover Central station by commuter trains (S-Bahn) http://www.bahn.de
GVH runs bus #470 from Langenhagen to the airport at 30 minute intervals http://www.gvh.de/index.html?&L=1